fin by Kyle Richards

What can I say about this album? I believe it’ll be my last. My musical output has slowed to a crawl. These songs have been sitting for years under “untitled solo album” on Bandcamp. I kept telling myself I’d add more tracks, rework some vocals, or polish things up. But after a while, it became clear: if I don’t release this now, I probably never will. And honestly, if I put it out years from now, it would likely look and sound about the same.

So here it is, finally. It’s been a long time since I touched many of these songs, so my memory’s hazy in spots—but here’s what I remember:

1. The Lizard King
This is the track I’m most proud of. If I were to make a proper video for any of my songs, this would be it. I started with a demo and liked the structure, but felt the lyrics needed work. I reached out to C. Scott Davis, and he nailed it—taking my initial story and turning it into something strong.

Originally, the track began as a basic instrumental. If memory serves, Lee Wiggins played drums on that early version. Once the lyrics were finished, I brought in Carey Anne to record backing vocals and help bring the whole thing to life.

The song’s concept is sort of a Seven Samurai / A Bug’s Life story, except with mice standing up to a tyrant who demands a food tribute. The landlord character? Inspired by the name of the guy I was renting from at the time: Jim Morrison. That coincidence gave me the title.

I started this one in 2022 and wrapped it slowly. One moment I’ll never forget: in early 2023, shortly before his passing, C. Scott messaged me to ask if I’d released “The Lizard King” yet. He said he was proud of the lyrics. I really regret not getting it out sooner.

2. Alien Plant
After The Lizard King, C. Scott and I started a second collaboration. He wrote the lyrics and played keyboards. The rest of the details have faded, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

3. Buckingham Luxe
An instrumental I wrote years ago. Bobby Phillipps laid down drums and offered to return for lead guitar once vocals were added—but I never landed on a vocal melody I liked. Still, I love this track and would be thrilled to see it finished someday.

4. Today, I Had a Lot of Things to Do
A strange one. I co-wrote this with Chris Henderson and lifted the lyrics from the backs of Beck’s Song Reader pages—picking phrases from different example lyrics and piecing them together. The result lives on top of a kind of David Lynch-esque soundbed. Chris contributed a lot here. I wrote the main structure and assembled/performed the vocal.

5. Dragon Candy
This came from a collaboration with Josh Goodman. I always meant to revise his placeholder lyrics and make the song my own—but that never happened. I wrote most of the music; Josh played piano and sang the guide vocal.

6. Illicit Affairs
Part of a Taylor Swift tribute via Theme Music. I didn’t want to do a straight cover, so I asked someone to give me the lyrics and chords. Without ever listening to the original, I wrote a brand new track using that framework. Still haven’t heard Swift’s version.

7. Walk With Me
No memory of this one. Sounds like one of the hundreds of unfinished instrumentals sitting in my vault.

8. The War of Russia
Nine years ago, Doug Hammond and I recorded an instrumental called Build The Wall—originally featuring Trump samples. I later removed those, replaced them with Zelensky clips, and retitled the track. This one always gives me Pink Floyd vibes.

9. Yellow Man Down
Wrote this shortly after watching the Jeffrey Dahmer Netflix series. The title came from a photo I took of a yellow plastic figure lying face-down on the floor. That image stuck with me and sparked the idea.

10. Gray Still Plays
This one walks the line between tribute and ripoff. To me, it’s a pretty blatant remake of another track (which I won’t name), but a friend encouraged me to keep going, insisting it sounded different enough. Maybe you’ll hear it and think, “Oh yeah, I know that song!” It’s about a popular YouTuber who posts lots of GTA content.

11. Waiting on the War
Another C. Scott Davis collaboration. I had this instrumental titled Waiting on the War and imagined lyrics about the dread of an impending civil war—the frustration of watching the tension mount but never break. C. Scott had other ideas, though. He wrote lyrics grounded in family and personal struggle, and that’s what the song became.

12. On All Sides
One of my favorites. Martin Burch helped with the arrangement and played drums, keys, and some other synth layers. I always meant to finish the lyrics, re-record the vocals, and add a final verse with layered backing harmonies. Never got to it. I'd say “maybe someday,” but… probably not.

13. Another Mister Miracle
Don’t remember much about this one. I think I played all the instruments. It started as an entry for a Theme Music challenge about “Songs about Gods.” I intended to write something about Darkseid, but pivoted and named it after Mister Miracle instead.

If you’ve made it to the end of this, thank you. Whether you’re listening, collaborating, or just curious—your support over the years has meant a lot. fin feels like a fitting way to close this chapter. I’m proud of what’s here, even in its unfinished bits.

– Kyle

Collaborations made with musicians from Theme Music.